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How to Prepare a Brief for your Creative Agency

Picking the right creative partner to help you achieve your business goals isn’t always easy, but having a brief prepared can assist you tremendously in your search. Here we give the some advice on how best to brief a creative design agency.

So you’re considering getting a new logo or website designed for your business?

Maybe you’re thinking of finally implementing a brand or marketing strategy that will enable you to keep up with your competitors? And you’re now looking for the best design partner that will help you achieve your goals?

You’ve done you research and you have a shortlist of potential design partners that you would like to possibly work with - it is extremely important to have an initial brief or RFP (Request for Proposal) you can present to them.

This brief must contain a clarity of objectives that detail where you are and where you want to end up. Kind of like looking at a map before you set out on a journey.

The brief is the map of where you want to go and the agency is your method of transport that you choose to help you get there.

Some projects are large and some are small, but every project must have a good idea of what the finished outcome should be. A brief must have this clear idea included so the agency you approach has a good feel for what you want right away.

This will assist the agency in immediately understanding the project and how best to proceed from day one.

What you put into a brief is what you get back.

The more you detail what exactly it is you want and the parameters around it the higher quality the work will likely be and will save you money and time down the line and, in turn, instill credibility and trust with your customers and increase sales and profits.

Keep your brief concise and incorporate the following points

Your company background

Tell a little bit about your company. It’s history, what it does, its products and services and the people who work there.

What the project is and what you want from it

Why are you approaching the agency? What is the project? What do you think will make the project a success? and what is the end goal from it?

Target audience

Who is your target audience, why are they your target audience. The more the agency knows about the audience you are trying to capture, the better equipped the agency is to execute a plan that appeals to your audience the most.

Competitors

Who is your main competition? Are they doing what you want to achieve? What is your USP over them? Play to your own strengths.

KPI’s

What you want to see from the outcome of the project?

Functional requirements

I want to be able to sell my products online’. Know what products you want to sell, the quantity, research your market, know there is a demand.

Project timelines

When do you want the project completed by? Are your expectations realistic? A good job can’t be done in the space of 3 days.

Budget

How much do you plan to spend on the project or campaign? Is this a realistic expectation for a quality product or service? Just always keep in mind you can spend low and get a cheap website made up quickly, but it won’t last a year. You can alternatively invest in a decent product or service that will have the quality to stand the test of time for the foreseeable future.

All of this allows the agency to get a better feel for what you want, were you want to go and how you want it to be done. It also provides an excellent framework for the agency so they can see what and who they could be working in. The better understood all of this elements are, the better solution you will receive.

So get your brief together, ring the agency and meet up for a coffee to get a feel of whether they see your vision and don’t forget, you’re ringing them for a reason, they’re the experts. So once you decide to work with a particular agency, you’ve got to trust that they know what they’re doing and let them get on with it.

Once the brief has been provided they will know how best to get you where you want to go, so let them get on with and you’ll fall in love with the product when it’s finished.

If you still need any advice or you feel Designit is the perfect fit for you, then give us a call on (01) 230 3757 and we can discuss your best options over a coffee.